Investigation into the attack on the Fenerbahçe bus in Trabzon: 1 person arrested

Following a match played between Fenerbahçe and Çaykur Rizespor in Rize, the bus carrying the Fenerbahçe squad was fired upon with a shotgun on April 4, 2015, at the entrance of the viaduct in the Soğuksu neighborhood of the Sürmene district while heading to Trabzon Airport. The bus driver, Ufuk Kıran, was injured in the attack. Following the incident, an investigation was launched by the Sürmene Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In the initial investigation, Emre A., Nihat S., Murat D., Tayfun K., and Yusuf Ö. were considered suspects due to findings at the scene and its immediate vicinity, social media posts, and potential links to the weapon and ammunition believed to have been used in the incident. However, on August 4, 2020, the Sürmene Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a decision of non-prosecution regarding the suspects on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to establish reasonable suspicion.

FILE RE-EXAMINED

Following the establishment of the 'Department for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes' within the General Directorate of Criminal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice on April 24, 2026, cold cases were taken under review. In this context, the file regarding the attack on the Fenerbahçe squad was also re-examined. With the indictment dated June 2, 2026, from the Sürmene Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the file was sent to the Trabzon Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. A confidentiality order was issued for the file by the decision of the Trabzon 2nd Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated June 9, 2026.

NEW HTS AND CELL SITE ANALYSES CONDUCTED

As part of the investigation, new HTS (Historical Traffic Search) and cell site analyses were conducted regarding 6 base stations belonging to 3 different GSM operators. Based on the new evidence obtained, the non-prosecution decision issued in 2020 was overturned by the decision of the Trabzon 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated July 17, 2026. HTS records containing base station data for 54 different ID numbers requested from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority were also examined. The study analyzed the movements of individuals who were in contact with each other before the incident, whose communication was cut off at the time of the incident, and who re-established contact after the incident. The base stations that received signals from the players on the Fenerbahçe bus were also used as criteria in the analysis.

NEW FINDINGS REGARDING CELL SITE RECORDS

According to the investigation file, Yusuf Ö. stated in his testimony as a person with knowledge on June 5, 2015, that he was at home at the time of the incident and learned about the attack from his brother. However, the new examination determined that Yusuf Ö. received a signal from the same base station that received signals from the players on the Fenerbahçe bus at the time of the incident. It was determined that Emiral A., Hakan H., and Özgür E., with whom Yusuf Ö. was in contact just before the attack, received base signals from the coastal road route in the Of district, which is on the route the Fenerbahçe bus took from Rize. It was determined that Yusuf Ö., Emiral A., Hakan H., and Özgür E. were in frequent contact with each other before and after the incident; and that Özden Recep K. also had contact with Hakan H. and Emiral A. close to the time of the incident. With these findings, detention warrants were issued for 5 suspects.

In simultaneous raids organized by the teams of the Trabzon Police Department's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch, suspects Yusuf Ö., Emiral A., Özgür E., and Hakan H. were apprehended and detained.

The suspects were referred to the courthouse after their procedures at the police station. The suspects, whose statements were taken by the public prosecutor, were brought before the duty criminal judgeship of peace. It was reported that the proceedings for the 4 suspects are ongoing.

Meanwhile, search efforts for the fugitive suspect Özden Recep K. are continuing.

1 PERSON ARRESTED

In the investigation into the attack on the Fenerbahçe bus conducted by the Trabzon Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; Yusuf Öksüz, who was referred for arrest on charges of attempted intentional homicide, was arrested, while Hakan Hatipoğlu, Emiral Aygüneş, and Özgür Ertürk were released under judicial control.